World women’s pickleball No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters sweeps 3 championships at PPA’s Virginia Beach Cup
Much as the past week was a showcase for the Virginia Beach Pickleball facility on a grand stage, Sunday was a showcase for young Anna Leigh Waters, the world’s best women’s player in a fast-growing sport.
Waters, who grew up in Delray Beach, Florida, swept the championships off all three divisions she played in the Pro Pickleball Association’s Stratusphere Gin Virginia Beach Cup before crowded grandstands on South Birdneck Road. Some of the finals were shown Sunday night on ESPN2.
A member of the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, the 17-year-old won the women’s singles gold medal by rallying past Brooke Buckner of Concord, North Carolina, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6 (players only could score points while serving). Kate Fahey of New York took the bronze medal.
In an all-Florida women’s doubles final, Waters and Catherine Parenteau of Naples won the gold 11-2, 11-7, 11-4 over Rachel Rohrabacher of Tampa and Anna Bright of Pompano Beach.
Jorja Johnson and Mari Humberg, a former Louisville tennis player from Sao Paulo, Brazil, earned the bronze.
It was also a productive day for Ben Johns of Austin, Texas, who reached the title match in all three of his divisions and won two of them.
In singles, where he was seeded second, Johns outplayed No. 10 seed Hunter Johnson of New Braunfels, Texas, 11-5, 11-9.
In mixed doubles, Johns and Waters beat siblings James Johnson and Jorja Johnson 11-7, 11-7, 10-12, 11-3. Riley Newman of The Colony, Arizona, and Jackie Kawamoto of Camby, Indiana, garnered the bronze medal.
But in men’s doubles, Argentine native Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin of Yucaipa, California, captured the title with an 11-9, 6-11, 3-11, 11-8, 11-2 victory over top-seeded brothers Ben and Collin Johns.
It was a good bounce-back from Staksrud, the world’s No. 1 male player, who was upset Saturday in a singles semifinal by Hunter Johnson. Dylan Frazier of Columbia, Missouri, and James Johnson won the bronze medal.
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings